Half a Dual
by Kijin
Summary: Fed up with Nerima's lunacy, Ranma leaves, to start a new life. But Chaos always seems to find him, bringing with it another adventure...
1.

  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
It all started at a construction site.  
  
A man in a hard hat directed a power shoveler to dig a particular spot  
when a flash suddenly caught his eye. Puzzled, he glanced at its direction,   
and picked up a strange object. It didn't seem to be important, but curiosity   
was tickled when he noticed the strange sign engraved upon it surface. He was   
then caught up in a crossroad of decisions. Will he, or will he not throw it   
away? Such a simple Question, but with enormous repercussions.  
  
The World was never the same again...  
  
  
  
===*===*===  
  
  
  
A Ranma 0.5/DUAL! crossover   
  
  
  
By Kijin  
  
  
*Disclaimer*  
I don't any of characters you might be familiar with. Please  
don't sue me. I'm just poor bystander with a penchant for fanfics.  
  
  
  
  
=====*====*====  
  
  
  
The End of the Beginning of an End...  
  
  
  
  
He was falling at an incredible rate of speed, towards the floor of   
an enormous, hollow mountain. The Gekkaja clutched in hand. The winged man   
at the bottom was preparing to fire off another one of those monstrous fireballs,   
laughing maniacally. It was only through the sheer power of his will and his   
incredible stamina that he survived the winged man's earlier attacks.  
  
'Geez, if Pig boy knew how tough I really was, he'd be depressed enough   
to throw a Ki Blast strong enough to actually hurt me!'  
  
It was no time for idle thoughts, though, as another fireball blazed   
towards him, turning the air into a blazing inferno.  
  
'I can't take anymore of this! I must strike back with all I've got!'  
  
He bounced off the mountain walls and propelled himself A hundred feet   
into air, in the center of the hellish conflagration. He only had one shot. To   
fail meant not only possible death, but the demise of his friends as well.  
  
'I can do this! I must do this!'  
  
He began gathering the remains of his Ki in preparation of one final   
attack, one that would surely slay the Phoenix.  
  
'My soul is as cold as Ice, my heart will be my fire.'  
  
His body became freezing, and ice grew on his arm. He glowed like a   
white-hot star, only his aura was cold as the artic wind.  
  
'This is it! The Final Blow!'  
  
But he was caught up in indecision. He screamed in mental agony. He   
was a Martial artist! He was charged with the duty to protect, not Kill!   
Time froze as something flashed in his mind. He began to see a picture within   
his subconscious, and he knew he was being shown a glimpse of the future.   
In one, He slew his opponent, and there were no further casualties for the   
moment. In the other, he stopped his attack, and his opponent lived. And   
that meant the death of those who dared call him friend. It made his decision   
clear, but painful still.  
  
He gazed one last time at his target, frozen tears nearly obscuring   
his sight.  
  
'Forgive me...'  
  
"Go, Ice Dragon!"  
  
The ice covering his arm shattered, as did his tears.  
  
"HIRYUU HYOU TOPPA!!!"  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
With a scream, Ranma woke up, gasping for breath. He inhaled great   
gulps of air, as if he couldn't get enough of the gaseous ambrosia. He   
shuddered for a moment, and regained control in a while. He stood and   
walked into the kitchen, getting a drink of water. He felt tense as he   
instinctively looked for a mallet, an iron umbrella, any of the weapons   
usually hurled at him at the most inopportune of times. He sighed. That   
chapter of his life was closed now.  
  
He thought for a moment on his nightmare. Why had it come back? It   
was nearly half a year since he had that nightmare. 'Could my mind be   
telling me something?'. He shook his head at the absurdness of the question.   
He was no Psychologist, but the Idea seemed too farfetched, even for   
someone whose life use to embody the phrase "May you live in interesting   
Times."  
  
He glanced up at the wall clock hanging on his apartment wall. Damn,   
it was almost morning. He cursed for a while on his loss of sleep. Well,   
he sobered, at least I'll have time to work on my Homework.  
  
Ranma contemplated the time when he had lived in Nerima. He lived   
in that hellhole of a town for almost a Year, Silently taking things as   
they were, not bothering to make an active effort to change the flow of   
events. In all that time, he had hidden his true abilities, both mental   
and physical, from the deranged residents of the Tokyo ward. He actually   
had no trouble with school, but had to keep up the 'dumb jock' image for   
the benefit of the public, and his true skill level, so his rivals would   
keep on underestimating him, and protect himself better from the schemes   
of the local blackmailers. He kept on the facade for the entire duration   
of his stay, absorbing the influx of knowledge and skills that led to the   
growth of his already impressive abilities. It all changed after the   
Incident in China. He had done again what was previously thought   
impossible. He had killed a god. All of a sudden, everybody had a true   
inkling of his power, and coveted it all the more. His rivals grew more   
jealous, The Fiancées, more fanatical in their quest to possess him, and   
Akane grew more violent and short- tempered. So he decided on a   
course of action.   
  
Surprisingly, Nabiki and his Mother were the most supportive. He   
first went to China to collect the favor from the dragon prince,   
Herb, to borrow the chisiuiton, eliminating his curse. Regrettably, he   
had to have himself disowned to clear all engagements without a loss of   
honor, with Nodoka threatening the fathers with seppuku. The girls were   
politely but firmly rebuffed, claming the impossibility of fulfilling all   
obligations. The Kuno siblings were sent to a mental Hospital. He gave   
Ryouga the last bit of pure Nannichuan and then beat him bodily for a few   
hours, threatening to kill him if he ever bothered him again with his   
usual spiel of "Ranma, prepare to Die!". And Cologne was taken care of   
by the threat of scattering the entire Joketsozuko tribe to four the winds.   
After all that, he had a long talk with Akane. He explained that he   
didn't love her, but would like to remain her friend. As usual, Akane   
only heard what she wanted to hear, and then attempted to brain him   
with her hammer. He fled before things could degenerate even further.  
  
But that was not the end. Oh no, they just HAD to be stubborn.   
And that was when he blew up. He didn't remember most of what happened.   
All he knew was that when he gained coherence, the park he had visited   
was replaced with a smoldering wasteland, and people were lying unconscious   
everywhere. He had not stayed longer in Nerima after that.  
  
He looked all over Japan for a relatively normal town, then   
settled in a nondescript apartment. His Mother had given a sizable bank   
account, her moneyed background was something she had hidden from her   
husband. He changed his last name to Kazeno, and loosened his hair to a   
ponytail reaching his lower back. Ranma then enrolled at a nearby High   
school, and thought he'd finally have a semblance of a normal life.   
But stranger things began happening. Ranma became subject to peculiar   
'Visions'. In It, he would see gigantic, metal war machines duking it   
out within the school grounds, but with no apparent effects on the   
landscape. He even gave the white Mecha he often saw a nickname.   
Often, students would find him staring through empty space, seemingly   
zoned out, and a with grimace of apprehension. This earned him the   
nickname "Paranoia-san", and was the subject of jokes by the student   
body. Ranma of course paid no heed to these, but he often wondered   
what would happen if he wasn't plagued by such visions.  
  
After eating a hearty breakfast, he hastily put on his school uniform   
and ran out of his apartment. He waved absently to Fujita-san, the   
apartment owner, and proceeded towards his school. Normally (for him, at   
least) he would've started to roof-hop to his destination, but early in   
the beginning he resolved to stick within the confines of mundanity to   
prevent unnecessary attention. That ruled out roof-hopping. So he ran to   
school at what he considered low speeds (30 miles/hour). In minutes   
Ranma arrived at school with plenty of time to spare. Then the whispering   
began.  
  
"Hey, here comes Paranoia-san!"  
  
"Look at him, acting all so cool."  
  
"Yeah, like he's some kind of Idol."  
  
"Why do crazy loons always think they're at the top of the world?"  
  
"Any second now, he's gonna start a trance!"  
  
"Who does he think he is, blowing off Kimiko-san?"  
  
"What!? The second most sexiest girl asked him out?"  
  
"HE turned HER down?!"  
  
"He IS a nerd, after all."  
  
"Probably thought she'd stick a knife to him when he'd turned his back."  
  
"Mr. Paranoia would deserve it too!"  
  
"He's probably gay or something."  
  
Ranma tried not to pay any attention to their speculations, and walked   
stoically towards his Homeroom. But it was really hard when their whispers   
seemed like Screaming to his heightened senses. Besides, some of the things   
they said really grated on his nerves. Besides, he preferred the guys' comments,   
in a manner of speaking. Animosity, he could stand. Guys usually treated him   
like he was the 'enemy of all women' anyway. The women, on the other hand...  
  
"There he is, there he is!"  
  
"[sigh] Those ice-blue eyes just gives me the shivers."  
  
"Oh Ranma-sama, to be your arms for even one night..."  
  
"Forget one night, how about a week!"  
  
"Do you think he'd last that long?"  
  
"I know he would! Just look at that body..."  
  
"They say he's not quite right in the head, you know."  
  
"Then I'd take the time give him some...private examinations."  
  
"Did you hear? Kimiko-sempai asked to a date, and he turned her down!"  
  
"He's not...homosexual, isn't he?"  
  
"NO! The last guy who said that to him still has a broken arm.   
Ranma-san lifted him with one arm and tossed him 10 feet away!"  
  
"He is rather strong, isn't he?"  
  
"[sigh] Ranma-sama..."  
  
Ranma reddened, his ears attempting to spontaneously combust. He   
walked hurriedly to his classroom an took out his homework. His "Dumb   
Jock" image was gone now, replaced with Ranma, the A+ student. The Student   
Government once wanted him as an official, but ruled that out in view of   
his "mental instability". Sighing, Ranma looked at his homework and stared   
inspecting it for mistakes.  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
"...Ieyasu was a clever politician as well a brilliant general.   
He was known for his patience and sense of justice. After defeating all   
of his opponents in battle in 1600, he established a military government   
that lasted until the 19th century..."   
  
Ranma tuned out the droning voice of the Teacher and lay his head   
on the desk, closing his eyes. In spite of his "Nerd" status (at least,   
according to the guys), Sleeping during class was still one of his favorite   
pastimes. It was of one the things he never bothered to erase from his   
past life. That, and his Chinese shirts. Besides, He already knew about   
the topic beforehand. He'd just ace it in the next test. 'Heh.' he   
thought. 'Wouldn't Nabiki, and everyone be surprised to know that "Mr.   
Macho-Martial Artist" is now "The god of Nerds". I bet Pop's frothing in   
the mouth right now.'  
  
"Psst. Hey, Ranma!" came an urgent whisper from his left.  
  
Ranma turned his head on the desk and faced Ichiro, one of his two   
hang-around buddies.  
  
"What now?" Ranma asked with half-lidded eyes.  
  
"Hey, I heard from the grapevine that Matsuoka Kimiko asked you out   
on a Date! And YOU turned HER down! What gives?!"  
  
"Yeah, Kimiko-san is soooo hot! Why didn't you accept, man?" Exclaimed   
Hyuga, the second of the Duo. "If I were you, I'd have jumped on the chance   
in an Instant!"  
  
'And jumped on her, too, given the chance' Ranma snorted. "Right. But   
you aren't me, and I don't think about girls all the time. So why don't you   
guys just control your hormones and leave me alone for the moment."   
  
"Man, that was a chance of lifetime! She was at your absolute control   
at the moment, she'd have done Anything you'd asked her to!" Drool began   
leaking out of the corner of Hyuga's mouth.  
  
"Ranma! You sly dog, you!" Ribbed Ichiro.  
  
Annoyed, Ranma raised his head AND voice. "Look you, morons,   
I don't have to jump on every girl I meet just because she's..." he   
paused. His hand flashed out in a blinding blur, and came up holding   
three pieces of chalk between his digits.   
  
"Damn..." He mumbled.  
  
"Kazeno-san!" the Teacher screamed, angry that justice had been   
thwarted again by the Bane of his Existence, Kazeno Ranma. "While you   
may be this school's finest scholar, and the Principal's own Pet, this   
does not give exclusive rights to disturb my Class!"  
  
"Huh? But I didn't do..."  
  
"In the Hall, NOW!"  
  
Sighing, Ranma did as he was told. "Hai, Sensei"  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
Finally, School ended. Ichiro and Hyuga left early, claiming to   
have prior commitments, no doubt to scope out and 'attempt' to pick up   
some girls. He had to hand it to them, If they didn't succeed the first   
time, they'd try, and try, and try, and try again. Until the girl grew so   
irritated she slapped them and leave in a huff. Ichiro and Hyuga wore   
them proudly, like badges of honor. He stayed late at the Library, needing   
to research something, so the only people left were the sports club   
fanatics who worked out till they dropped dead to impress the chicks.   
Gathering his books, he left the library and headed to the nearest phone.   
Taking out his palmtop (beats the hell out of having a paper notebook,  
Especially when on is able to type with Amaguriken speed), he check his   
mail to see if the application he'd sent to Tokyo University concerning an Investigatory Project was received. He noticed someone coming, but paid   
her no heed. The said person stopped at the phone booth, apparently waiting   
to use the phone.  
  
"I'll be finished in a moment. Just wait a second, willya?" Ranma   
said, not even turning around to face her.  
  
"Kazeno Ranma, I presume." It was a statement, not a question.  
  
"Huh?" Puzzled, he turned around and looked at the speaker. He saw   
a beautiful girl standing in front of him, a slight smile on her face.   
That smile usually reminded him of Shampoo or Nabiki, and no good ever came   
out of it. She looked vaguely...catlike with that expression on her face.   
With some trepidation he addressed the girl. "Yes?"  
  
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Sanada Mitsuki." said the girl said, her   
face clearly showing her amusement as she waited for some sort of reaction.   
She was met with blank looks and a puzzled frown.  
  
She waited for an acknowledgement.  
  
Ranma continued to stare at her. She was quite pretty, now that   
he thought about it. But after Nerima, he tried to stay away from things  
that would possibly complicate his life. And girls (especially pretty   
girls) were definitely the chief sources of trouble.  
  
She twitched, silently prompting him to speak.  
  
"And?" Ranma waited for her to continue.  
  
"Doesn't the name seem familiar?" Mitsuki said, a little miffed.  
  
"No. Should it?" Mitsuki's eyebrows twitched. He didn't recognize   
the most popular girl in School?  
  
Suddenly, Ranma's eyes widened. " You're not some sort of Super Martial   
Artist out for revenge, are you?" he backed away a bit.  
  
"Huh?" Now it was Mitsuki's turn to be Puzzled.  
  
"Or a..." Ranma tried to swallow a big lump on his throat. 'I thought   
I'd left it all behind! Damn you, you stupid Panda!' Once again, he tried   
to get it the words out. "A...a...Fiancee?" He gasped the words out fearfully.  
  
"Nani?" At this point, Mitsuki was seriously beginning to believe the   
rumors circulating around campus.  
  
Seeing the blank looks of incomprehension on her visage, Ranma relaxed,   
tugging at his collar. "Whew! And here I thought you were another...never   
mind." he trailed sheepishly. "So, what can I do for you?" 'Please, not a   
date, not a date...'  
  
"I'm very interested..." She began.  
  
'Oh, NO!'  
  
"...In your Visions, Kazeno-san." She finished.  
  
"What?!" This was the farthest thing he had in mind. Most students   
actually knew him well enough not to mention his periodic 'Episodes' in   
his face. "What do you mean, My Visions?" his stance became vaguely   
aggressive.  
  
"Your Visions. You see things most of us cannot. That makes you   
very interesting, Kazeno-san."  
  
His expression became rather abrupt, almost downright rude. "If you   
will excuse me, Sanada-san, I have some things to attend to." He turned   
his heels, and walked away from the booth.  
  
"Wait, Ranma!" She called out, walking after him. "I'm not trying to   
make fun of You!"  
  
"Look, Sanada-san, I have no time to entertain your flights of   
imagi..." He trailed of, his eyes glued to the scene unfolding before his   
eyes.  
  
Mitsuki noticed this, an quickly grabbed the phone on the side.   
"...Yes, he's here. I'm speaking to him right now, while he's currently   
having one of 'Them'..."  
  
Ranma was frozen by the apparitions that danced in front of his   
eyes. Its happening again! He couldn't move a muscle, seemingly motionless.   
The two apparitions resolved into shapes, and before him, stood two   
mechanical behemoths locked in battle.  
  
"You see them, don't you? These Visions, what do they show you,   
Ranma?" Mitsuki intoned besides him.  
  
"Two Huge Robots are fighting in front of the school." Ranma answered,   
in spite of himself, his voice a deep monotone echoing in the halls. "The   
white, humaniform one which I dubbed 'Halzeenen' just stumbled after a   
volley of artillery shells hitting its armor. The bigger, bestial Mecha   
keeps on attacking the Halzeenen, is advancing as if preparing to fire   
its main weapon." Ranma felt oddly detached from the experience, as if an   
observer of his own body.  
  
Suddenly, the Beast-like mecha turned, facing the direction of the   
school, and incidentally, Ranma. It gazed at him with a massive, cyclopean   
eye, and suddenly launched a huge missile at him. Ingrained battle instincts   
took over his lethargy, and immediately he raised an open palm in front of   
him. An intense aura flared around him, invisible to all but the strongest   
of martial artists, but the azure energy gathering at his palm would   
surely be felt even by the blind. Mitsuki's eyes widened at sight of   
the blue radiance collecting at his extended arm, instinctively warding   
her face at the glare.  
  
Ranma prepared to release the gathered Ki into a spherical shield   
around them. If it was just him, he'd just gather enough Ki for protection,   
and let it hit him. He needed to keep a low profile after all. But with   
an innocent near him, that was not an option. Before he could enact   
his plan, the Vision stopped, and he was once again inside the confines   
of the school hallway. He blinked, then lowered his arm. He inhaled   
deeply, and exhaled noisily. Suddenly he remembered something. He was   
not alone. Oh no! Sanada-san!  
  
Mitsuki took a shaky breath, and turned her wide eyes to his face.  
  
"So its true, You really do see things."  
  
Ranma stepped away, gathering the bag he had dropped. He stared at   
Mitsuki for a second, and she felt naked at his glance. "I saw nothing.   
If I were you, I'd forget everything that happened today. Good Day,   
Sanada-san." And without further ado, walked out of the hall.  
  
Mitsuki stood for a moment, taking everything she knew into account   
to explain what had just happened. When she saw her quarry walking out,   
she decided to figure it all out later.  
  
"Ranma, wait!"  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
The sports club were not truly a registered school organization,   
per se. They were just a collection of athletically inclined high school   
students who considered sports to be all there is to life, with the   
exclusion of everything else (they were dumb jocks who knew how to toss   
a ball). Most students generally ignored them, even their fellow athletes.   
All they did the whole afternoon were practice their respective sports,   
and scope out the female half of the school population. And of course,   
make fun of the local 'Head case'.  
  
"Hey look, its the weirdo!"  
  
"Ha! look at him go, like he owns this school."  
  
"Like, totally, he's a real nut!"  
  
"Maybe, the..." the soccer player stared at something he'd never   
thought he'd see.  
  
"He's...he's...touching Miss Sanada!" He nearly screamed.  
  
"WHAT!?" exclaimed a dozen more.  
  
They saw Ranma, apparently walking away from the field, bag in hand,   
when Mitsuki suddenly came at his side, taking his arm. The horde saw   
him shake off her hand , and walk away faster.  
  
"How...DARE he do that!"  
  
"Attempting to sully Miss Sanada's Honor!"  
  
"Unforgivable!"  
  
"He must be punished!"  
  
"The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure..." Lightning crackled   
in the distance.  
  
The Horde began to assemble, and attempt to formulate a plan,   
one that was sure to put the Weirdo back to his proper place-at the   
bottom of the food chain.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
"Ranma! Stop for a minute, will ya?"  
  
Ranma didn't even glance at her direction. "Go home, Sanada-san."  
  
"Please, call me Mitsuki."  
  
"Very well. Go home, Mitsuki."  
  
Mitsuki was becoming a little frustrated. Most of the guys she   
knew would have given an arm just to talk to her, and here was one   
that didn't pay her any attention! She tried again. " Ranma, listen to   
me awhile, that's all I ask."  
  
Ranma kept walking, but stared at her with the same intense gaze   
of his Azure orbs. Mitsuki idly noted that this was the first Japanese   
male she'd seen with blue eyes.  
  
Ranma finally answered. "No tricks."  
  
She frowned, but said, "Yes, no tricks." What had turned him so   
suspicious?  
  
"One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four..."  
  
The Sports Club came out of nowhere and as nonchalantly as   
possible grabbed him in their arms and jogged away in the same heartbeat.   
They carried Ranma to a secluded place inside an Alley.  
  
"Hey, Kazeno! We don't you talking to Miss Sanada anymore, ya   
hear?"  
  
"Yeah, she's ours, you know!"  
  
"Only the exalted, top specimens of the School Athletics   
Department are allowed to date Miss Sanada!"  
  
"We don't want any nerd or weirdo associating with her."  
  
"She's probably scared that you'd be stalking her!"  
  
Ranma forced himself to close his jaw and answered back. "I wasn't   
asking her for a date!" He hollered. "And for your information, I can   
speak with whoever I want! Why don't you idiots bother somebody else, or   
better yet, get a real life!"  
  
They only laughed at him. "You're getting a little uppity, Kazeno."   
The group sniggered. "Hey, Guys, why don't we reach Mental-boy here a   
lesson?"  
  
That remark was met with a chorus of agreements and positive replies.   
Ranma grew disgusted at their display.  
  
"I don't have time for this." He pushed the swimmer who was blocking   
his way, but the rest of them began to cover the exit of the alley.  
  
"Why don't you make time, Nerd." the Baseball player sneered.  
  
Ranma's eyes narrowed, and the Fanboys could feel the air grow cold,   
especially the swimmer. Some of them started to think that this was a Bad   
thing to do.  
  
The Soccer player cheered them onwards. "Guys! This is for Miss   
Mitsuki! We can't let This nobody have his way with her, can we? We have   
to teach him a lesson that he'll never forget! Who's with me?"  
  
The Hentais, Their hearts lightened by the Inspirational speech,   
shouted their individual battlecries, then shouted all as one-  
  
"CHAAAAAARGE!!!"  
  
Ranma grinned, a facial contortion that would provoke nightmares   
from the idiots who dared attack him. That was the screams of pain and   
terror started.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
Mitsuki gasped as she rested from her exertions. When the group   
of morons who pestered in school came by and grabbed Ranma, She was   
so perplexed by the strange events that had happened since this afternoon   
that she lost a precious few seconds gathering her wits together. By   
the time she had regained her faculties. they were already gone for a   
minute.  
  
'Those idiots! Why did they do that? The hentais probably plan on   
beating him for daring to even talk to her. No wonder she didn't have   
much of a social life! I can't get one lousy date because they keep scaring   
my prospects!' Her eyes began to lose focus, as she thought about the true   
unfairness of life. 'Oh, kami-sama. Will I forever remain the beautiful,   
unplucked flower? Where is my Handsome Gardener, who seeks to claim my   
wondrous scent for himself?'  
  
Pedestrians stared at the Zoned-out girl, who ran like demons   
were chasing her, and wondered at the general condition of her sanity.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
After 45 minutes of searching, Mitsuki finally saw Ranma walking   
out of an alley, some sort of stain covering a sleeve. Immediately, she   
glomped him fiercely, crying out with relief.  
  
"Oh, Ranma! I thought they'd hurt you."  
  
He laughed. "Them, hurt me? They couldn't even lay a finger on me."  
  
Mitsuki sighed. "I'm so glad."   
  
"Um, Mitsuki, you can let go now."  
  
Blushing, she released him from her grip. She'd just felt so warm   
and comfortable in his embrace that she'd forgotten all about her original   
purpose. "Oh, right." She was sure her face was crimson from embarrassment.   
"Ranma, about what I said..."  
  
"What did you want me for, Mitsuki?"  
  
"About these Visions? I believe my father can help you."  
  
He stopped in his tracks. "What?!"  
  
Mitsuki repeated. "I think my Father..."  
  
"I heard you the first time." Ranma tried to scope it out at all   
angles. This guy could be one serious headcase, and his daughter could   
only be humoring him for her father's benefit, or even exploit him for   
some sort of weird lab experiment. On the other hand, there was one girl   
who sought to understand him (unlike an uncute tomboy he used to remember),   
and her Father night even be able to help him understand the cause of   
these Mental flashes. It was a long shot, but stranger things had happened   
to him. Besides, he'd make sure he'd be getting something out of this.   
He turned back to Mitsuki.  
  
"Alright."  
  
Mitsuki smiled widely, and then grab his arm like she did earlier.   
"Well, come on. Let's go to my house!"  
  
"What? Right now?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
He sounded a bit annoyed. "In case you haven't noticed, my sleeve's   
covered in milk(1). I can't go meeting people like this."  
  
"But we have to meet him today!"  
  
"Look, it'll just take me 20 minutes to go home, change my clothes,   
and then come back. Why don't you wait in that cafe over there?"  
  
"Oh, alright." she was mollified.  
  
"And Mitsuki?" He turned back.  
  
"Yes?" There was a hungry look in his face. Mitsuki recoiled a bit.   
He wasn't a Deviant, was he?  
  
"I expect a free meal from you."  
  
Mitsuki had never facefaulted before, but Ranma observed that she   
was pretty good at it.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
"So, is this your house?" Ranma wore a pair of baggy black cargo   
pants, black low cut street sneakers, and his standard red long-sleeved   
Chinese shirts. It made quite a nice combination, he'd found out. He   
had tied his hair in usual pigtail, something he hadn't done for nearly   
half a year. Mitsuki had a strange look as she glanced at his hair, but   
just shrugged it off as one his eccentricities. They were in front of   
the large, two story house's front gates  
  
"Yep," Mitsuki replied cheerfully. She pressed the intercom's   
button. "Father, we're here!"  
  
She called her companion. "Come on inside, Ranma."  
  
Just as they walked past the gates, A middle aged man dressed   
tackily in a lab coat came barreling out of the front door, crying   
out, "There you are!"  
  
He grabbed him in a hug that put Tendo Soun's to shame, rubbing   
his cheek against the pigtailed boy's, exclaiming, "Ahh, so this is the   
wonderboy, is he?" and ground his unshaved face against Ranma's once   
again.  
  
Ranma had frozen. Scenes of Kuno, Mikado, and Happosai played frame   
by frame in his mind. Finally his brain caught up, and his reflexes made   
themselves known.  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
The town was suddenly startled by a high-pitched scream of 'Pervert!'   
and were puzzled by its intensity. An old man sitting at an engawa idly   
remarked. "Whoever said that must have had one hell of a pair of lungs."  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
'This cannot be happening to me...'  
  
For the life of him, Ranma didn't have a clue on how he ended up  
on a lab chair, trussed and restrained, with monitors and machines of  
unknown purposes blinking and beeping all around him. The Weird-looking  
professor with the strange hairstyle kept scanning him with an electronic  
oddity that resembled a supermarket's bar-code reader, turning it this   
way and that, in an effort to capture what still eluded him.   
  
'This cannot be happening to me...'  
  
"This is really quite exciting." Declared the lab-coated man. "I've  
been working on my field for some time now, and I've never seen anything  
like it before! Why, I'm certain..."  
  
"Excuse, but just who are you?" Ranma interrupted.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Allow me to introduce myself." The 'Scientist'  
drew himself up. "I am Sanada Ken, 49 years old, Genius extraordinaire.   
I've been waiting to meet someone like you for a long time, Ranma."  
  
Professor Sanada then launched himself into an impassioned  
speech about topics that the pig-tailed boy hadn't even heard about, much  
less understand (He was smarter and more knowledgeable, but he tended to  
stay away from higher physics). After a few minutes, the topics had   
unexplainably shifted to his wife, showing him a picture, proclaiming   
her beauty and intelligence, then sobbingly confessed their estrangement.   
By now, Mitsuki grew exasperated at her father and tore the said picture   
to pieces.  
  
A bead of sweat had grown on Ranma's forehead as he contemplated   
the remarkable similarities between the professor and a certain emotional  
martial artist.  
  
"Yeah, well this is all well and interesting, but Mitsuki here  
claimed that you could help me. So, could you tell me why I keep having  
these periodic episodes that seems right out of the Twilight Zone?"  
  
Professor Sanada straightened, putting his hands behind his back,  
and adopted a Lecturers tone. "Are you familiar with the theory of   
parallel worlds?"  
  
'Oh great, he's one of those Weird science fanatics.' He thought  
morbidly. "Not really. Perhaps you could enlighten me."  
  
The Professor smiled, as prepared to discuss a subject he was very   
familiar with.  
  
Before he could start into his diatribe, a monitor beeped, and   
printed a out a set of results. Professor Sanada scurried to examine it,  
squinting at it this way and that.  
  
Ranma was curious, as well as irritated by the fact that he was   
still tied to the lab chair. "So, what does it say?"  
  
Professor Sanada looked at him with a serious expression, as if  
about to deliver news of dire events.  
  
"Well, it says here..." He began.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"...That you're completely normal!"  
  
Ranma would have facefaulted, if he could.  
  
Mitsuki buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Father, Father..."  
  
"Hmm, I must have missed some important variable..."  
  
The pigtailed-boy rolled his eyes. 'Your Stupid machine doesn't   
know jack, old man.'  
  
"Well, The field of Parallel Dimensions isn't quite an exact   
science, yet." He explained. "In theory, there exists a parallel Dimension,   
one that mirrors our very own, except there are a few minor differences.   
It is virtually identical to this world, and everyone that exists here   
should, in theory, have a counter-part in this 'mirror world'." He shook   
his fist into a righteous pose. "I've been studying in this field since I   
was a young man, creating several hypotheses about its existence. I've   
been arguing about its validity to the Scientific community for a while,   
now."  
  
'Let me guess, they threatened to stone you for hypocrisy.' Ranma  
thought snidely. "But what does it have to do with me?"  
  
Professor smiled. "Some people are said to have such extra ordinary   
senses that they can actually 'see' the distortion of space itself," He   
explained. "They sometimes, these 'gifted' people could observe events   
that are totally different what exactly happens in real-time. Hence,   
the 'Visions'. To this extent, I've actually come up with a device that  
could, hypothetically, allow a test subject to travel to this 'Parallel  
World' and observe the differences between to the two Dimensions."  
  
Mitsuki was slightly shaking his her head, brown locks swaying  
with her head.  
  
"Really?" Ranma's curiosity was hooked. No matter how thin-  
brained an idea it may be, with an actual device to tinker with,  
it did seem very possible at the moment.  
  
"Of course!" The Professor puffed his chest in pride. "In fact,  
your sitting on it right now!"  
  
"What!?" Ranma grew very nervous at this point. He didn't like the   
idea of being on an untested machine commandeered by a slightly deranged  
Lab-coat. Only common courtesy prevented him from tearing his seat apart  
and causing unnecessary damage to his Hosts' property.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't use it yet. Until I've figured out all the   
bugs, I won't be sending any live subjects with it for now."  
  
'Whew!'  
  
Mitsuki tried not to sigh with resignation at her Father. She   
sat on a fairly comfortable contraption behind her.  
  
"If I had my way, you won't be sending anyone through it at all!  
Honestly, the very..." She trailed off, noticing her Father looking  
at her with horror.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Mi...Mits...Mitsuki!" Sanada stuttered.  
  
Ranma suddenly had weird feeling, one that strangely familiar.  
Whenever he felt like this, Akane had always been kidnapped, or another  
fiancee showed up, or one of his rival came up with another 'invincible'  
Technique to defeat him. He broke into cold sweat.  
  
"Mi..Mitsuki," Sanada tried to swallow a lump on his throat.   
"Y..you just turned my Machine on!"  
  
"Nani?!" Quickly, she turned around to look at her impromptu seat.  
Behind her, one of the levers that comprised a crude control panel had  
been depressed.  
  
Alarms and other assorted klaxons had begun to shriek, signaling   
the activation of his alleged Dimensional Transporter.  
  
"Wha...what's happening to me?!" Ranma stammered in a combination  
of fear and puzzled anxiety. He found that he had suddenly lost all   
strength to control even the most superficial muscle group in his body.  
Bright lights had started to surround his sight. Strange shapes and   
symbols circled in front of him, cavorting in an erratic dance that   
seemed to have no particular tune. Finally, a hauntingly familiar   
shadow began to emerge behind it all. A vaguely human form that he   
could have sworn he'd seen somewhere. All through it all, the background  
had become a chaotic tangle of frantic limbs and clanking switches.  
  
"Father, we have to do something!"  
  
"I'm trying!"  
  
"Well, try harder!"  
  
"Maybe this will do it..."  
  
"Hurry up!"  
  
"I can't! These are very sensitive instruments you know. A little  
miscalculation and..."  
  
"There's no time to explain! Just stop this thing!"  
  
"Theoretically, I could disconnect the external power conduit  
that controls the field generators, and accelerates the speed of   
sub-atomic..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"...I could unplug it. Turn it off, you might say."  
  
Mitsuki resisted the urge to brain him right there and then.  
  
"Then do it!"  
  
But it was too late. The Machine had reached it critical level,  
and Ranma now knew the curious sensation of having your body atomized   
into its component particles, and transported through a tear in space-  
time. All he could do was scream soundlessly and become a silent observer   
to his own fate. Then everything turned white, and he knew no more.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
Mitsuki could only stare at the space that used to be occupied  
by a reluctant High School student who had unwittingly become the  
first passenger of the supposedly untested device, created by none  
other than the eccentric Professor Sanada Kensuke. She had never   
wanted any of this to happen. She only sought to help her Father  
in his research, and possibly provide assistance to a pig-tailed  
boy who had been plagued by justifiably traumatic episodes that  
could shatter his fragile mentality. Instead, she had condemned  
Ranma to a World that he knew nothing about. A place, quite  
possibly, where the normal rules of Physics might not hold sway.  
She knelt to the floor, tears running down her flawless cheeks,   
asking silent forgiveness to any passing kami that would deem   
her worthy of absolution.  
  
Sanada could only bow his head in shame. "Mitsuki, I..."  
  
Mitsuki's continued unabated. Ranma was such a nice boy. He  
didn't act like the typical hormone-controlled guys that pestered  
her at the campus. Most of the males she knew tended to treat her   
like a Prize to be won at any cost, to be possessed and paraded  
like a possession. She couldn't even hold a decent conversation  
with any of them, since they usually stared at her breasts instead  
of her face (not that her face wasn't attractive enough.   
  
But Ranma was...different. Not in a strange way, but as if  
he was something...special. Someone that was one-in-a-million, a  
one of a kind person that she would be lucky to know. He didn't  
stare at her like a lecher, but talked like a *Man* that considered  
her a person, that a sexual object. She promised a solution to  
his curse, while Ranma looked at her with trust and hope. And then  
she...  
  
...Let him down.  
  
Suddenly, an idea sprouted in her mind. It would be dangerous,  
she knew. Coherent thought seemed far from her consciousness, though.  
She made a mistake, and she would have it corrected, even at a high  
price. The theory seemed sound, yet with its inherent dangers.  
  
But it would send her to her destination.  
  
"Father..."  
  
Sanada answered softly. "Yes...?"  
  
Mitsuki didn't beat around the bush.  
  
"Send me after him."  
  
The Professor took a step back. She had actually considered this?  
  
"But...it could be dangerous!" A parent's protective instinct  
surfaced. "Who know what could happen? You could..."  
  
"There is no time to argue about this! Its our fault for dragging  
him into this mess! We have to do something!"  
  
"Mitsuki..."  
  
"No! We have to do this!"  
  
"Mitsuki..."  
  
"He could need serious help! He probably didn't bring enough money!  
Who knows what might..."  
  
"Mitsuki..."  
  
"Father, we just have to do this!"  
  
"Mitsuki..."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
Professor Sanada sighed. His daughter was remarkably stubborn and  
strong-willed. Once she wanted something, she didn't stop until she got  
what she wanted.  
  
'Just like her Mother,' He thought, 'but without the not-so-nice  
traits.' He motioned for her to sit down at one of the stools.  
  
"I was going to suggest to prepare for a day, before going after  
him." He said. "With some preparation, we could make this trip safer,  
with a much greater chance of success."  
  
He stood up wearily, feeling more like an old man than he'd ever been  
his entire life. His daughter stood up with him.  
  
"Come on. The sooner we begin with packing, the sooner we can start   
the 'rescue mission'."  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
Blinking slowly, as if just waking up from a most restful sleep,  
Ranma opened his eyes, mentally whisking the cobwebs from his brain.  
The smell of musty, stagnant air assaulted his olfactory organs. He   
flinched a bit from the odor. Gradually, his eyes started to adjust  
to the darkness of the room. Having a bit of information on his  
general location, he attempted to stand, tearing the straps from his  
chair. Only to find out that all his considerable strength had left  
his body. He fell down on the dusty floor, gasping a bit as a wave of   
sudden weakness rendered him temporarily paralyzed.  
  
'What the hell?! I didn't even feel nearly as weak after   
fighting Saffron, or after Miss Hinako *disciplines* me. What in   
the world is going on?!'  
  
He was puzzled, and a little bit frightened by this situation.  
It was as if somebody had drained every bit of his monstrous reservoir   
of Ki, which was quite a feat actually. Leaving only enough for him to  
survive, barely. To drain that much Ki meant that someone had the   
equivalent of a nuclear reactor's energy supply stored, or _used_,   
somewhere.  
  
Finding his dilemma somewhat annoying, Ranma started to gather   
ambient Ki from environment. Painstakingly, the trickle of energy  
was collected and absorbed into his body. He slowly started to regain  
some of his strength. He stopped the gestalt after a few minutes. He   
really was too weak. In his weakened state, the technique would do more   
harm than good. At least he would be up and walking.  
  
Standing on rubbery legs, he stood and looked around. He was  
in a familiar room.   
  
Of course! The Machine! Mitsuki!  
  
'Wait a minute. I'm the only one here!'  
  
Ranma remembered about the last things that happened. First, the   
Doc. Then Mitsuki turning the darn machine on. Then, bright lights  
flashing. Finally, lying on the floor, weak as a baby. Now, no one in   
the room but him, and it looked like everything's been covered in dust,  
as if no one had ever lived here for some time.  
  
'Oh, man. This looks like a nightmare straight from one of the  
episodes of the "X-files"!'  
  
He paced a bit, his feet gouging furrows in the dust-covered  
floor of the lab. 'Okay, lets be rational about this. There's obviously   
no way I'd get any information staying inside this dump. I'd better go   
outside and see what happened.'  
  
As he walked out of the house, he took the time to check the things   
he'd carried with the Hidden Weapons technique (It pays to have a bag  
of weapons always hidden with you, after all).  
  
'Lets see now. Palmtop computer, some duct tape, a spare change of   
clothes (better safe than sorry), a spare battery pack. A couple of   
thousand in assorted bills, The book of the Five Rings, and Sun Tsu's   
'The Art of War'. Mother's Katana (hey, it was here all this time!),   
and finally, some martial arts scrolls. Not quite what I had in mind,   
but better than nothing.'  
  
Finally, making sure he didn't leave a mess, Ranma stepped out   
of the house. The sight of the outside world made his jaw drop to the   
ground in disbelief.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
Ranma had been walking for some time now. Yet still, there was   
no signs of life anywhere. The city had become a virtual Ghost Town.  
Everywhere, there was an absence of any sort of human activity. This  
fact was enough to make him shiver.  
  
'This city should have been sprawling with people! What happened  
here?!' Feeling like Ryouga often did, he felt it appropriate to do   
what he the Eternally Lost Boy usually did whenever he found himself  
geographically disoriented.  
  
"WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I NOW!!!!!"  
  
  
  
====*====*=====  
  
  
Bereft of any other ideas, Ranma finally hit upon the idea of   
using the payphone to jack his Palmtop and hook up with the Net. Normally,  
or if he was feeling a bit better about the whole 'Parallel World'   
thing, he'd logically decide to open a News site and inspect the Current   
Events section. But the situation could be excused to the general  
detachment he usually felt whenever encountering something that most  
people described among the lines of 'Eerie' to 'the Epitome of Weirdness'.  
What he did was type the URL of his homepage, in the faint hope of   
making sense of things. After entering the address, he pressed Enter.  
  
'What the Heck?! [error 404. Not found]?! What IS the matter with   
this thing!?!'  
  
Ranma could no longer stand still, and paced nervously beside   
the phone booth. Sure, he' seen some weird things. But for the entire  
population of a city to disappear-its was downright scary!  
  
'Calm down, fool. Everything's cool. There has got to be rational  
explanation for all of this. You left Nerima a long time ago. Things  
SHOULD be rational...right?"  
  
It started only as a flicker in his senses. For Ranma though, it  
was jarringly loud. A...shockwave. 'No, a series of shockwaves. Around 15   
kilometers from my current location. Regular, almost rhythmic, impacts,   
like a Giant, two-legged Robot walking...'  
  
He needed no other prompting than that. Ignoring a feeling of dread  
in his heart, he sprinted at sub-sonic speeds towards the source of the   
disturbance.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, he stopped at the location he thought the  
'thing' would be. He glanced around.   
  
Nothing. There was nothing here that could have produced the   
disturbance that he felt earlier. Exhaling noisily, he prepared to turn  
back.  
  
Without warning, his danger sense flared. He leapt high into air,  
the remains of half a building landing where he used to be. Still in  
the air, he kicked off another falling piece of a skyscraper, and another,  
until he had landed clear from the danger zone. A two ton boulder was   
casually shattered with a backfist before it could hit him. He frowned.  
Something had hit the building, causing it collapse. From where he was  
standing, he surmised that the 'something' was Really Big.  
  
Ranma walked around the crumbling remains of a crushed bank,   
and jumped a hundred feet into the air, to land on an artificial mountain  
and gain a better viewpoint. What he saw made him rub his eyes, for  
fear of dispelling the illusion. Blinking a few times, jumping nearer,  
he made sure what he saw was real and tangible. He touched 'It' a few   
more times. finally he could only mumble in disbelief.  
  
"Halzeenen...?"  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
She had had been fighting for nearly an hour. Like a massive   
prize-fighter, the Core Robot had wrestled its enemy amidst the ruins   
of the once lively city. After exhausting its Ammunitions supply, the   
Core Robot settled into hand-to-hand tactics, attempting to overpower   
the other Machine through sheer force. But it was a doomed endeavor   
from the very beginning.  
  
It wasn't that she was an inexperienced pilot. She was the   
first of the UN's premier officers, with multiple credentials in the  
field of Aeronautics and Military Science. She had been the top  
student when the War had started. Hours of training lent her familiarity   
with the controls of Core Robot 1. All in all, she really was the ideal  
Pilot for this mechanical construct. But despite all that, she would  
lose.  
  
The U.N.'s Core Units were Humanoid Mechanical frames, giving  
them incredible maneuverability and control. The U.N. had decided to  
opt for the design since the beginning, with the approval of the Chief  
Commander. A standardized form and construction was cost-productive.  
Parts could easily be replaced, and with it Humaniform design, the  
Core Robot had the ability to grasp and use most UN. weaponry. So  
in effect, It relied on precision, tactics, adaptability, and some  
heavy weaponry to defeat its opponent. But that gave it one serious   
disadvantage : once its weapons systems were depleted, It could only   
resort to its ineffective melee weapon, the Tonfa. And with enemies  
the size of buildings, it was unlikely that it would make a significant  
difference in the course of the battle.  
  
Rara Corps, on the other hand, settled for the Power approach.   
Most of their machines had massive frames, heavy armor, and destructive,  
built-in weaponry. All if its Core Robots had no standardized shape,  
to them the advantage of unpredictability in battle. They lacked real   
speed in battle, but they could outlast the somewhat 'inferior' machines   
of the UN. Further more, Rara had incredible resources at their   
disposal, ranging for some illegal weapon's manufacturers, to its  
almost unlimited monetary coffers. But their true advantage came from  
Ruins that Rara had discovered years ago; the real reason for the   
commencement of the war...  
  
So the UN's Core Robot took a severe pounding from the Rara unit,  
finally culminating its attack by firing a massive missile from its   
underbelly. The resulting explosion drove the white Mecha to its knees,  
before stumbling back and landing against a building.  
  
The Core Robot had taken too much punishment. While the cockpit  
was heavily padded, the attacks had been too strong for the pilot not  
to feel its effects. She was thrown like a rag doll around the pilot   
seat, and shrapnel had struck her several time in a row. Her vacuum-suit,  
padded and insulated for maximum protection, gave no defense against her  
foe's relentless attacks. After a few minutes, her helmet had shattered,  
and she was bleeding from a dozen wounds.  
  
She had to get out. Opening the hatch, she groped for something to   
support her. Stumbling a bit, the pilot managed to walk to the edge of  
the hatch and glance around.  
  
The pilot couldn't believe her eyes. There was a Man out here!  
Why wasn't he at the shelters? What was he doing here? Didn't he know  
it was dangerous to run around when there were two Robots creating  
destruction among the streets of the city? She had to warn him!  
  
She struggled to get the words out. But her throat hurt to much.  
  
"Are you okay?" the Boy -or was it Man?- spoke. Everything seemed  
to hurt for her.  
  
Finally, she managed to get her message sent.  
  
"R...ru..Run...a...away..."  
  
Then, the pain and injuries became to much for her. Slowly, she  
toppled forwards, the ground coming up to meet her.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
Ranma couldn't believe it. First, the buildings around him crumbled  
into pieces, nearly burying him. Then, 'Halzeenen' had crashed in front  
of him, making him think about his mental condition at the moment. Yet  
the real cattle prod in the butt was the realization that 'Halzeenen's  
pilot, was in fact, a Girl!  
  
He watched the hatch open, and the pilot walk out unsteadily,  
clearly injured. Ranma fumed.  
  
'What kind of monster would send out *Girls* to fight in his own  
Bloody battles?!' He snarled silently.  
  
It was then that the girl mumbled something to him, then   
fainting as her injuries took its toll. Before she could hit the   
unmerciful pavement, Ranma leapt into the hatch and caught her in his   
arms. The helmet shattered, its transparent pieces dissolving into a   
couple of curious, silvery puddles. A wealth of platinum blonde tresses  
streamed out of the broken facemask, freed from the constraints of its  
prison.  
  
He sweated. The pig-tailed boy couldn't help but think that   
he had often found himself in big trouble in this position than   
anything else. Needless to say, holding damsels in distress became   
something he specifically avoided whenever possible [or, to state   
it clearly, he usually kept the holding part as short as possible].  
  
'Damn, she out cold.'  
  
Despite the urge to vacate the premises at the speed of light,  
Ranma's code of honor wouldn't let him leave someone who obviously  
needed his help. With some trepidation, he carried her inside the  
cockpit, where she'd be more comfortable. Gingerly, as if afraid that  
the slightest movement would hurt her, he eased himself beneath her.  
Settling himself on the floor, he took off his red, long-sleeved,  
Chinese shirt and wrapped it around the unconscious girl. After a bit  
of mental debate, he lifted her in his arms positioned himself at the   
pilot's seat.  
  
It came as a total surprise, then, when the cockpit closed, and   
he found himself enclosed in darkness, with only a few blinking monitors   
to provide illumination.  
  
"He...hey! What gives?" Ranma shivered as nervousness settled in   
his stomach.  
  
If only he didn't have a girl to protect, he'd have simply blasted   
his way out and be done with it. As it is, he found himself in quandary,  
devoid of any ideas at the time.  
  
"Great, just great! What am I supposed to do here? Wear the hula  
and sing the Kumbaya?"  
  
Silence greeted his inquiry.  
  
"Kami, I wish something would happen..."  
  
No sooner than he uttered the words, he had the strangest feeling  
he'd said one the 'Words you should never say just because you're Bored'.  
  
The cockpit's hatch a brilliant green, then transmogrified into   
a futuristic View screen. It showed broken buildings and the crumbling   
City pavements. Then, it happened.  
  
The steady, rhythmic pounding he had heard earlier had come   
back in full force. The sound echoed inside the cockpit via the   
external mikes, in full, 3-D sound. And the sound kept getting stronger   
and stronger, as if its source was getting nearer to his current  
location.  
  
Finally, 'It' showed itself. It was a Gigantic Mechanical   
Warmachine, resembling a sort of bipedal toad. It had extended   
arms hanging from its torso, one of which was an enormous Artillery   
piece, that could fire powerful, explosive projectiles.  
  
It stopped, scanning the area for anything it considered a   
threat. Then, it noticed the fallen white Mecha lying on its back.  
  
The huge, Cyclopean eyes settled on their direction, cameras  
within focusing at its target.  
  
Ranma buried his face in his left hand (the other was presently   
occupied at the moment). The feeling of dread had returned full force,   
now.  
  
"Why does this happen to meeee?!" He cried plaintively.  
  
  
End chapter.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
(1) The basketball player wasn't being given any attention for the  
moment, so he threw a half-empty carton of milk he found at a   
dumpster at Ranma. Turns out that it was REALLY bad idea.  
  
The Hiryu Hyuotoppa [flying dragon ice breakthrough] was the Hiryu  
Shoten Ha variation Ranma used against Saffron in the battle of Jusendo.   
Instead of a Whirlwind, it was an extremely concentrated Ice Tornado.  
  
Notes:  
  
Alright, this fic was made in response to a challenge. In case  
you haven't noticed, This is a Ranma/DUAL! Parallel Trouble Adventure   
crossover. The only difference in this fic from the series is that  
Yotsuga Kazuki does not exist. Instead, Ranma replaces him. It chapter  
was rushed, especially the part where Ranma leaves Nerima, but it  
will all be explained in the succeeding chapters. I've been reading   
fanfiction for quite a while now, and I've never found any Fics about   
DUAL!. So I decided to put my writing skills to the test and create   
my own Fanfiction. If you decide to Flame me, do be gentle. This is my   
first fic written.  
  
Send all C&C to carlopim@yahoo.com . Flames will be used to   
fuel the Steam locomotive I keep in my backyard.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. 

  
  
  
  
A Ranma 0.5/DUAL! crossover  
  
  
By Kijin  
  
  
  
*Disclaimer*  
None of these characters belong to me. Those you don't   
recognize probably do, though.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
Next time, I'll drive...  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
"Relay Core Robot 2 to the Gamma sector!"  
  
"Concentrate all fire to the weakened sections!"  
  
"Unit 1 just depleted its Ammunitions reserve..."  
  
"Prepare for evasive actions under enemy..."  
  
"They can't take any more of this! Retreat behind the..."  
  
"Robot 3 just gained the upper hand! Proceed with the assault!"  
  
"Suppression fire at several stages, deliver at 30..."  
  
"Core Unit 1 is sending a decrease in Life Sympathy levels!"  
  
"Life Sympathy dropping at a progressive rate. 80, 75, 67,   
50..."  
  
"Commander, if this goes on, the Pilot's life will be in   
jeopardy!"  
  
Behind a desk, located above the command terminals manned by   
control operators, a bespectacled man gazed at the tumult in displayed  
in the numerous monitors of the Command Center. He took a moment to   
address the readouts and draw his tactical analysis. What little it   
showed was not good.  
  
Below him, a woman glanced up from her keyboard to address her  
superior officer.   
  
"Commander, Core Robots 2 and 3 are holding steady, but Robot   
1's Life sympathy has dropped to 15%!"  
  
"What?!" The said commander turned to the operator.  
  
"What's the status on the pilot?"  
  
"Sir, the pilot is suffering from hemorrhaging, a severe   
concussion, and several shrapnel wounds. Continuing the assault could   
result in a casualty at hand, Sir!"  
  
"Damn!" The Commander cursed, both Rara and the War in mind.  
He issued a command to one of the Panel operators.  
  
"Signal all pilots to retreat. We don't one of our pilots   
to have to die for this. Damn Rara!" He cursed again.  
  
"Life Sympathy has dropped to 0."  
  
"Eject the Core unit." He needed no other preamble than that.  
"The pilots safety is most essential here!"  
  
"Opening hatch."  
  
"Preliminary stages of ejection initiated."  
  
"Powering Core robot down."  
  
"Sir! An unidentified person has just entered the cockpit of the   
Core Robot!"  
  
This got the Commander's attention. "What's the status on the   
Pilot?"  
  
"Negative, Sir. The suit's sensors are down. As of now, we cannot  
get a positive lock on her state."  
  
"And the intruder?"  
  
"Still negative, Sir!"  
  
Suddenly, a shrill alarm sounded.  
  
"Commander, we're reading some activity from Core Robot 1!"  
  
Immediately, the said commander paid instant attention to   
the deliverer of the news.   
  
"Is the intruder trying to take over our Units? What about the   
pilot?"  
  
"She's still inside!" Then, the readings on her screen showed  
something unbelievable.  
  
"Life sympathy readings from CR-1! And, its..."  
  
"It's...negative. Life Sympathy increasing Negatively!"  
  
"That's impossible!" Exclaimed one woman.  
  
"Nevertheless, its what we have here. And its still decreasing!"  
  
"CR- 1 has engaged the enemy!"  
  
"No!" Fear struck his heart. "The pilot is too injured!"  
  
"Life Sympathy at -30%. -40%. -56%. 73%..."  
  
"The ratios are still decreasing!"  
  
"CR-1 is powering down. There is no activity whatsoever from   
the enemy unit!"  
  
"Enemy Unit has ceased...functioning."  
  
Silence reigned supreme in the Control Center. One Operator   
tentatively inquired.  
  
"So...we won, right?"  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
Human beings are a curious race. Often, they find themselves in   
situations beyond their control. Whether intentional, instinctive, or  
suicidal, they always react to the events in varying degrees of  
disbelief. Denial, after all, is a standard human reaction preceding  
confusion. Ranma was no exception.  
  
"This cannot be happening to me..."  
  
He turned his thoughts back to ransacking the drugstore's counter.  
He never thought he'd be in following in his Father's footsteps. Yet,  
here he was, practicing what his father often preached as one of the  
tenets of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu : thievery.  
  
"Great. Just freaking great. And here I thought Pop would never be   
able to darken my shadow again!"  
  
His regular visits to Tofu-sensei, both accidental and intentional,  
gave him ample time to study general pharmacology and shiatsu from the  
somewhat eccentric Doctor. Being the kind soul that he is, Tofu-sensei  
had been only too glad to help. In any case, Ranma reminded himself  
to thank his erstwhile mentor in medicine for his assistance. With   
his knowledge, maybe he'd be able to help somebody else in return.  
  
'Like a bleeding, tight-suited, silver-haired, female pilot of   
a giant robot?' If anybody else had said that, most people would had  
laughed. However, most people didn't know Ranma, either.  
  
Before he left the girl, he'd infused her with a bit of ki  
from his depleted reservoir, hoping it would stave any life   
threatening internal injuries for a while. A bit of Ki, he'd found  
out before, could do wonders for the body, if you knew how to   
manipulate it. It could soften fatal blows, close wounds, accelerate  
the healing process in an injured body...  
  
Thinking about the Mecha and its pilot, Ranma's memories of   
his brief stay inside its cockpit surfaced...  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
The green, Cyclops-machine lowered its arm after it had swung   
it at Halzeenen, flinging the white robot into another building. The   
impact shook the cockpit and its occupants, resulting in a grunt of   
annoyance from Ranma and a groan of pain from the lady in his embrace.  
  
At times like these, the pigtailed boy realized that the Kamis  
were personally going medieval on his behind.  
  
"Kuso! The girl's going to be in serious trouble if this keeps   
up!"  
  
The sound of monstrous, approaching footsteps reverberated  
inside the cockpit. Like the knell of Doom, he morbidly decided.  
  
"But what can I do? I don't even know how to control this   
thing. Heck, I can't even see any control interfaces of some sort  
anywhere!"  
  
The Cyclops-machine stopped. Time froze for Ranma.  
  
"Nani..."  
  
A missile hatch hummed as it opened in the enemy mecha's under-  
belly. A warhead peeked out from beneath its recesses. Beads of cold   
sweat poured behind his head.  
  
'This can't be good...'  
  
The missile burst out from its missile launch pad, speeding   
unerringly towards its target-him, of course. Ranma could only shout  
his thoughts.  
  
"KUUSSOOO!!!"  
  
The explosions shockwave rocked the terrain for more than a mile   
around. Where the incendiary hit, the only thing it left behind was a   
crater.  
  
Tentatively, Ranma opened his eyes, and surveyed the monitor.  
Was Halzeenen hit? After a few moments of inspection he concluded   
his inquiry.  
  
"I'm...It missed me!" Mentally giving the Enemy Robot the   
Bronx cheer at its apparent blindness, he paused. He looked at the   
screens again. And drew one more conclusion to amend his earlier   
mistake.  
  
'It didn't miss. I...moved Halzeenen. I actually controlled it   
for a while! But how? All I remembered doing was grabbing anything  
near me, and holding...'  
  
He looked at what he was holding. Two crystal clear globes   
pulsing soft light with a slow beat. He stared incredulously. Was  
this all there is to controlling Halzeenen? Was this its own version   
of the Macross' Veritech thinking cap?  
  
The question quickly became academic, the moment the Green  
enemy Mecha fired off a burst of armor-piercing rounds. Instinctively,  
he willed the Mecha to swerve to its left, evading a potentially  
dangerous volley. Ranma was still for a moment, then thought :  
  
'Yep. I guess that answers the question.'  
  
He looked back at the charging Mecha.  
  
"Alright, fun time's over, Jerk!"   
  
Ducking under a predictable Haymaker, he struck with a series   
of staccato strikes to the Enemy's underbelly. Blows powered by huge   
motors beneath an alloyed frame crumpled the armor on the green Robot.  
Halzeenen's blows pushed its enemy back, prompting the enemy Mecha to  
retaliate with another burst from its weapon arm.  
  
Gracefully, like a gigantic replica of gymnast, Halzeenen   
flipped to the side, and swung a perfect round-house kick at the gun   
arm. The force behind the attack tore off the Cyclops appendage,   
leaving it without its main assault weaponry. It seemed to almost   
back away, as if sensing emminent defeat.  
  
"Ohhh, yes. You got that right, asshole!"  
  
And without further ado, Ranma willed the Core Robot in a   
dead run, towards the Cyclops-Mecha. It looked almost like it was   
struck dumb by the sight. Ranma grinned.  
  
Halzeenen jumped high into the atmosphere, high above its   
target. With a triple twist at the apex of its ascent, it accelerated   
downwards with a fist extended.   
  
"Now YOU fry, freak! HAAAAAAAAAH!"  
  
The impact shook the ground for miles, startling a few birds   
from their roost some distance away. When the dustcloud cleared,   
Halzeenen stood poised triumphantly, while the green enemy Robot...  
  
What was left was the legs, the torso having exploded from   
the extreme velocity of the punch. There was virtually no trace of   
its upper body parts.  
  
Gasping, Ranma shook himself from his reverie. He smiled   
grimly. He sure showed that overgrown tank who's boss. Unknown to   
him, his harsh gulps of air had awakened the pilot.  
  
The woman slowly blinked her eyes, focusing on the person who  
had her in an embrace. White sleeveless undershirt straining to keep   
powerful muscles within its confines. Blue eyes clashing with black   
bangs, framed in a face almost to pretty to be called handsome.   
She'd never felt so safe in her entire life before. All in all, a   
beautiful sight to behold.   
  
She sighed, a beatific smile of bliss adorning her face, and   
slipped backed into merciful unconsciousness, visions of a handsome,   
blue-eyed prince in a white charger galloping in her dreams.  
  
The White Warmachine kept its pose for a minute, then lowered   
itself to a kneeling position. With a hum, the hatch opened, and   
Ranma came out, the pilot still in his arms. All through the fight,   
he had forgotten something. The question that plagued him ever since   
he woke strapped up in a lab chair.  
  
"Where in the World..."  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
"...am I now?" he wondered.  
  
He blinked, and stared at his hands. He looked back the wall  
clock hung in the Pharmacy's counter. He swore.  
  
"Kuso! I've been standing here for two hours!! There's no time  
for wool-gathering, Ranma no Baka! There's still a girl with serious  
injuries waiting back there!"  
  
Cursing his stupidity and the world in general, the pig-tailed  
martial-artist ran out, carrying a few packages of drugs safely within  
his arms.  
  
An hour and a half prior to this, the Global Defense Force   
personnel had picked up the CR-1 and its pilot. Medical personnel   
immediately attended the injured woman, stripping off the red shirt   
covering her. The pilot of CR-2, however, paid close attention to the   
said item. She looked more closely at what she held. It was a red,   
longsleeved, Chinese shirt .  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
"So, what do you make of this?"  
  
"We're still investigating this phenomena, Sir. Apparently, a   
few minutes before this, Core Robot-1 had been under heavy fire by   
our own Rara Unit, and Victory seemed the likely conclusion."  
  
"But..."  
  
"A few minutes later, CR-1, despite the lack of weaponry,   
attacked our Rara unit in Hand to Hand. The Unit quickly overpowered  
our own, and resulted in its destruction. We know that it was still  
the same unit, but our investigation teams are still at a loss to  
explain the sudden change in power level of the GDF's unit. With  
your permission, Sir, I would like to form a team to investigate  
this matter further."  
  
"Very well. As of now, I'll give you permission to do what you  
think needs to be done. Keep me posted on the latest developments on  
the Investigation."  
  
"Hai. With your permission, Sir."  
  
"You may go."  
  
Seeing the subordinate leave, the bald head turned back to the  
screen, which showed the wrestling of two mechanical wonders in all   
out prizefight. His ornate robe rustled as he stood up from his seat,  
a frown twisting his face.  
  
'What are you up to now, Sanada?'  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
In a lab, Global Defense Force Headquarters.  
  
  
A group of people huddled around the lab table, some of them   
vigorously taking notes, others mumbled incoherently to themselves.   
One, a spectacled, middle-aged man with wild hair, however, gazed   
impassively at the Unit currently being examined. The object in   
question is the Core Unit, a component resembling a crystal globe the   
size of a basketball surrounded by a crown similar to a tuning fork   
with three prongs. He turned to an Aide beside him.  
  
"What do you have on the Core Unit? Any video, An energy track,  
anything at all to provide a clue?"  
  
"Yes, Chief Commander. The Core has a very accurate recording  
on some of the events. According to the readings, there seemed to   
have been a second occupant that was inside the Core robot, besides   
the pilot, inside the Core Robot. This person then gained control   
of the Core Robot and defeated the enemy for us. However, this   
unidentified pilot soon disappeared after Rara's defeat. We do   
have an audio recording of the events that transpired inside the   
cockpit, though."  
  
"Good," The Commander nodded, and ordered the aide to play the  
recording. Everybody at the table listened in rapt attention to the  
audio.  
  
"Kuso! The girl's going to be in serious trouble if this keeps   
up!"  
Pause.  
  
"But what can I do? I don't even know how to control this   
thing. Heck, I can't even see any control interfaces of some sort  
anywhere!"  
  
Pause.  
  
"Nani..."  
  
"KUUSSOOO!!!"  
  
Pause.  
  
"I'm...It missed me!"  
  
Pause. Forward.  
  
"Alright, fun time's over, Jerk!"   
  
Pause. Forward.  
  
"Now YOU fry, freak! HAAAAAAAAAH!"  
  
The Aide Addressed his superior officer. "That's it, Commander."  
  
The Commander did not hear the last thing he said. He had a   
slightly maniacal grin on his face, one that a child wore whenever   
he had a new toy to play with.  
  
'This is incredible! He's actually here! I'll need a little  
bit of *her* help for this...'  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
"...So you see, now you know why we can't send another for   
this mission. It has to be you, and no one else."  
  
The Commander looked at the figure decked in the skintight  
pilot suit. The girl had two long brown ponytails hanging from   
either side of her helmet. She faced the commander, and waited for   
him to continue.  
  
"Well?"  
  
She paused, then nodded. She left the room immediately after  
her that.   
  
The Chief Commander of the Global Defense Forces, Sanada   
Kensuke, leaned back in his plush office chair (being the highest   
ranked officer in the GDF had its perks) and smiled. All was well   
in the world, figuratively speaking, of course.  
  
The intercom buzzed. "Sir, a call for you on line 8."  
  
"Oh? Who is it?"  
  
"Its Inspector Yamano, Sir. She says its urgent."  
  
Commander Sanada grinned. One of the 'perks' of the job just  
came by.  
  
"By all means, patch her in!"  
  
The monitor in front of him sprang to life, revealing the   
frowning visage of Inspector Yamano Akane, of the United Nations.  
  
"Ah, Inspector Yamano. How nice it is to see you! May I take   
the time to compliment you on your dress? You particularly   
gorgeous today, If I must say!"  
  
"For your information, Sanada, I happen to be wearing the   
prescribed uniform of an Officer, as befits one of my rank." Came   
the rather annoyed response of Inspector Yamano. "I have no time for   
your meaningless verbal conundrums. I called you for a very important   
reason."  
  
"Ah, you wound me so!" Sanada proclaimed dramatically. "I   
only wished to pay tribute to the wonder that is your beauty."  
  
A vein visibly appeared on the Inspector's forehead. "SANADA!   
I said I called you for a very important reason! Don't try to   
evading the issue! I know you have an audio recording on the battle   
that you kept hidden from me! I tried to access the sound file, but   
you had it on a classified status! The GDF is still under the command   
of the U.N., so I want that file and I want it NOW! "  
  
Sanada merely smiled inanely at Yamano. "Inspector, you   
shouldn't frown, you know. It'll give you wrinkles. Why don't we go   
out for a nice dinner in town, instead." He grinned boyishly, "I can   
make it worth your while."  
  
The poor woman buried her face in her hands. 'Why did I ever   
keep this job, anyway?' Out loud, she pleaded. "Please, Commander,   
I need to have a copy of the file. You can't expect me to do my job  
properly without it. Please." she pleaded once again.  
  
Sanada seemed to relent. "Oh, alright. Here, I'm uploading   
the file to you, now." His smile never wavered.  
  
Inspector Yamano sighed audibly, silently thanking the stars  
for having shown some mercy on her.  
  
"And Inspector?" The commander turned back before he disconnected   
the line.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'll come by at about 8 tomorrow."  
  
"NANI!?"  
  
"Ja!"  
  
"Wait! I..."  
  
Her protest was drowned by the disappearance of the   
Commander's face from the screen. Oh why, oh why, did she even stay   
an Inspector, anyway? She could have had a nice, boring desk job.   
But then again, she'd never meet the irritating, yet fascinating   
Sanada Ken if she did...  
  
She reddened, and immediately cut off *that* train of thought.   
She did *not* like him! Well, she amended, at least she didn't   
*exactly* hate him.  
  
Yamano turned back to the screen, with a message showing the end  
of the file transfer. Playing the Audio file, she mollified herself.  
  
'At least I got want I wanted.' She started to smile, but the   
smile froze-  
  
"Ahhh! Yes!"  
  
"More!"  
  
"Ohh! Harder, harder!"  
  
"You're so big!"  
  
-as the sound clip from an X-rated film played loud clear from   
her speakers.  
  
Inspector Yamano's eyebrow began to twitch like there was no  
tomorrow.  
  
"That...that...BAKA!"  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
It was late at night. The stars, twinkling brightly in the   
inky background of the night sky. For some, watching balls of super-  
heated gas suspended millions of light-years away in space would  
be a waste of time. For a certain martial-artist, though, such  
a display would have taken his breath away, as it always did, even   
back when he was still in Nerima.  
  
He lay sprawled on a park bench, gazing at the endless expanse  
people called the sky. Stargazing was one of his favorite things to  
do, especially since it gave him a brief respite from the chaos  
that usually followed him in Nerima. At least, he thought, it gave  
me the chance to appreciate the simpler things life. My Old life,   
that is.  
  
'Are we lying beneath the same night sky, Mother?'  
  
Leaving his mother had been one of the most hardest hurdles  
he had to cross in his life. She embodied everything he admired  
in a person, like Kasumi-oneechan, the girl he considered the Big  
Sister he never had. Thinking of another person he truly liked,   
but had left behind, worsened his sense of depression and loss. If   
this continued, He'd be able to fire off a Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan   
that would make Ryouga's best look like a firecracker without even   
half-trying. He shook his head.  
  
'No! I am Ranma, The Wild Horse of Chaos! I won't let myself   
be beaten by a few memories. Mother and Kasumi would have wanted me   
to move on. I'll always cherish the memories they'd given me. It will  
be the pillar that I can lean on with tests of time. No, Ranma never  
loses, and I will never be defeated!'  
  
Heartened by his own thoughts, he started coming up on a plan   
of action. That meant replaying every detail of the events that   
happened a few hours ago. He stopped his mental rewinding. There had   
been something off about what happened. Alright, starting the recap   
of events.  
  
First, coming to Mitsuki's, then meeting the slightly (in his  
opinion) deranged physicist Sanada Ken. Then being strapped to a   
strange chair, which turned out to be a a machine the professor   
invented which could *supposedly* transport a subject into a   
parallel dimension. Bright lights flashing, yada yada yada, wake up   
weak as a baby. Walking through a deserted city, and seeing a White   
Mecha which he'd always dismiss as a hallucination. A female pilot  
bleeding and injured, and him riding the mecha as easily as a   
veteran, incidentally destroying another one in the process. He runs   
off for a moment, spends a few minutes looking for medicine, gets   
lost in his thoughts for *hours*. Returning to the battle site only   
to find any evidence of the mentioned conflict gone, without a trace,  
including the injured pilot. So, what, seemed to be Off about the  
story?  
  
Ranma snorted to himself, and shook his head. 'Well, duh,   
Everything was strange about it! Most of it shouldn't even be   
happening. But I guess I can never really escape the chaos that's   
become so familiar. My escape from Nerima was only a tactic that   
delayed the inevitable.'  
  
The Battle with the machines gave him another mental tidbit to   
chew on. What had happened to her, the pilot of Halzeenen? Did the   
enemy capture her? Was she safe?  
  
He sighed. 'Only time or circumstance will answer my question.  
Besides,' he thought morosely, 'knowing my luck, I'll have my question  
answered. But I'm sure it won't be in a way I'd like.'  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
She opened her eyes to the harsh, Spartan cleanliness of a   
hospital room, bereft of the comforting embrace that had soothed her  
troubled sleep and given saccharine dreams. She glanced around,   
catching the attention of an elegant, elderly woman on the corner.  
  
"Yayoi, you're awake." The woman shuffled towards the bed,  
Kimono rustling as she did so. "You been asleep for a few hours since   
the battle, and we weren't sure you'd wake this soon."  
  
Yayoi looked at her grandmother's face, trying to discern what  
she had found disturbing from the phrase.  
  
"Grandmother, what wrong? Where there any casualties?"  
  
The stately matriarch shook her head. "No, nothing like that.  
Our side won the battle today, with minimum damage on public   
properties and government reserves. I'm glad your safe."  
  
"Then why do you look a bit...perplexed? I haven't seen that  
expression on your face since the time you tried to set up a match  
between Suzume and Daisuke." She smiled in remembrance.  
  
Reika smiled back in return. "No, its not really that. Its   
just that...when they found you in the cockpit, the floor was steeped   
in blood. They paramedics say you must have lost a few pints of blood,  
judging from the wounds and the 'direct evidence'. The doctors didn't   
expect you to be in stable condition for at least a week. But when   
admitted you here, they found that your injuries regenerated at an  
exponential rate, several times that of the norm. Your injuries   
literally healed overnight, with your wounds closing up leaving only  
a faint scar behind!" She sighed, her face betraying her happiness  
at the discovery that a potential personal calamity had been  
averted. She continued on with her story.  
  
"And what puzzles me more, was this."  
  
Reika walked up to the wall, retrieving a crimson, silken shirt  
with wooden ties. "They found this wrapped around you. The GDF   
personnel had no idea where it came from. It was probably owned by  
the mysterious person who manned the Robot you piloted."  
  
The elderly woman gave her the shirt, voicing her own opinion.  
  
"Its as if a passing Kami had taken a liking to you and   
decided that you needed assistance."  
  
Yayoi took the shirt in her hands, hugging it tightly to   
herself. She vividly remembered the ice blue eyes that infringed  
upon her dreams, The owner having rescued her from the cruel embrace   
of death. And into another embrace, one infinitely preferable and   
far more desirable.  
  
"No, not a Kami..."  
  
"Pardon?" said Reika.  
  
"An...Angel..."  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
"...don't know who you are, but get out of my property before   
I call the Police!"  
  
"Fujita-san! Its me, Kazeno Ranma! I'm one of your tenants,   
remember?"  
  
The old man merely looked irritated. "Young man, I've kept  
records of every one of my tenants, and I don't remember ever having  
a Kazeno on my list! That's not even a real family name, so don't  
try to make a fool out of me, and Leave, NOW!"  
  
Ranma felt frustrated. The Old man was clearly in the dark   
about his identity. He actually did not know him, even in passing.  
Ranma thought that he might have been playing a joke, albeit a   
cruel one. But he could not, would not, even think the Old guy would   
ever do that. If there was one thing he knew about Fujita-san, it   
was the fact that he treated his tenants with outmost respect and  
kindness.  
  
Bystanders had watched the drama with no little anger. The  
nerve of some people. Using a city-wide alert to rob an old man.  
They took a step forward and glared menacingly at the young man  
with the audacity to do that.  
  
Ranma stood numbly, jaws slack. Nobody here remembered him,   
or would defend his position if they did so. The Fates truly had   
their fun turning his life into the hell it once was. It did not   
seem fair to him, but maybe, this wasn't truly his world. And maybe,   
no one really knew who he was.  
  
He bowed respectfully to the Old man, and held his bent   
position for a while. "Fujita-san. I am deeply sorry for the   
disharmony I have caused you." He straightened, then took out a   
few dozen 1000-yen bills from within his pocket and thrusted it   
at the now dumbfounded man. "I that this meager sum would be   
reparation enough for the troubles I have brought."  
  
He quickly turned on his heels, and slowly walked away. His  
impromptu audience, who earlier had animosity in their eyes, now felt  
only sympathy, for they had seen true remorse in his face. It was the   
wrong for them to do.  
  
Ranma could not stand that. Anger, he had experience with.   
Indifference, he could let pass. But the one thing he truly hated was   
Pity. He dropped to a dead run, then leapt to the rooftops, not caring   
who would see him.  
  
After half an hour, the pig-tailed boy slowed down. Roof-hopping  
took away the remaining depression he had. He felt better now, though  
not by much. Remembering a shirt he had hidden somewhere, he rummaged  
through weaponspace, and came up with another red silk shirt. He wore  
it solemnly, still a bit out of it. He walked aimlessly along the dim   
road, counting what few blessings he had. 'I'm alive. That counts for   
something, at least.'   
  
Giving the old man most of his money was too impulsive an act,  
he decided. He took out the remaining bills he had. Just enough for a   
few meals. After that, he'd have to find a few odd jobs to survive.  
Depression set again.   
  
"This wasn't what I had in mind."  
  
"Ranma."  
  
He spun. "Huh?"  
  
Floodlights and headlights suddenly flashed with blinding   
brightness. He closed his eyes in an attempt to regain some of his   
vision. Slowly opening them after adjusting a bit to the light, he  
saw around several dozen police officers and cars surrounding him.   
He cursed. He had wallowed too much in self-pity that he forgot   
to be aware of his surroundings.  
  
What caught his attention was the lone woman that stood beside   
a spotlight. He squinted, struggling to make out her features. She  
was very familiar...  
  
The woman looked at him, and ordered the men beside her crisply.  
  
"He's the one. Capture him!"  
  
He blinked, not able to believe what he had just heard. Officers  
immediately closed on him.  
  
"Sorry, son. We have to take you in."  
  
"Nani? But what did I do? Do you even have a warrant..."  
  
Another officer cut him off. "We don't need any of that crap.  
All you need to know is that some very important people want you to  
meet them, and were here to take you to them."  
  
Needless to say, Ranma became incensed. This crazy world had  
screwed him up far too many times. He had changed, but he was still   
far from being a pacifist. A direct confrontation is still his forte.  
It was time he kicked some ass.  
  
"Oh yeah? Then you'd have to stop me from leaving, first!"  
  
The officers seemed amused. "So what *are* you going to do?  
Cry for your Mommy?" There was a collective laugh at this.  
  
The young martial-artist's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing   
that was guaranteed to piss him off royally, It was to mock at his  
masculinity, and make jokes concerning his mother. The policemen had  
only fed fuel to the fire.  
  
"Wrong thing to say." And he faded from sight(1).  
  
The police officers gaped for a bit, then spun around themselves,  
hoping for a glimpse of their quarry.  
  
"Where the heck..."  
  
"Search the area! He can't be gone for more than a minute!"  
  
"Kami, what is this kid?"  
  
"Hey, Where's my partner?"  
  
"Aoba, where did you go?"  
  
"Captain, some of our men are missing!"  
  
"Impossible! They were here a moment ago!"  
  
At this point, fear and anxiety ran rampantly through the  
their ranks. Even as they spoke, the men kept disappearing. It was   
as if an invisible man strode silently among them and picked them   
off one by one. There now only 9 men left.  
  
"Captain..." The sergeant nervously handled his sidearm.  
  
"Form a tight cluster! Ma'am, you better come closer."  
  
"Sir we found some of our men! They were lying unconscious  
some distance from here, behind the squad cars!"  
  
"Be glad they are only unconscious."  
  
They spun to face the speaker. It was Ranma. And he had slightly   
cruel smirk on his face. They leveled their weapons at him.  
  
"Freeze! Don't move a muscle, kid!"  
  
Ranma laughed. "Do you think your weapons make me scared?"  
  
One of the officers, fear finally overcoming him, screamed  
a profanity and fired his submachine-gun. The bullets only hit air,   
though.  
  
"No!" Screamed the woman. "Ceasefire! Don't hurt him!"  
  
Ranma lost all patience with the cops. In a blur of movement,  
he attacked the remaining men and sent them to slumberland after a  
few seconds. He dusted his hands in satisfaction.  
  
"Hmmp. A bunch of pansies...now for you." And turned towards  
the woman.  
  
"Why did you order them to arrest me?" He advanced steadily.  
  
The woman stayed silent.  
  
"Who do you work for?" He asked when he was only a few feet   
away. "What do you want?!"  
  
Then, the woman happened to tilt her head, just so, for the  
light to illuminate her features. A face that Ranma found very  
familiar.  
  
"Mitsuki...?"  
  
Mitsuki smiled, and stepped closer to him. "Ranma."  
  
He still couldn't believe his eyes. "Is it really...?"  
  
If anything, her smile grew wider. "Yep. And Ranma?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He felt something sting his hand. He looked down, and saw a  
tranquilizer gun in her hand. The pig-tailed boy's vision began to  
swim.  
  
"Sorry about this..."  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
"Are you sure that's him?"  
  
"Of course I'm sure, Father."  
  
"Really? You never mentioned he could take on an entire squad  
in hand to hand."  
  
"That sort of took me by surprise, too. I wonder what else he   
can do..."  
  
"We should have anticipated that he would have resisted an   
obviously counterfeit arrest. And look what happened."  
  
"Thankfully, I brought a trank gun with me. I knew that he was  
stubborn, just not to this extent, though."  
  
"Commander, the boy just woke up!"  
  
"Impossible! I put enough trank in the settings to knock him  
out for 12 hours! It been only 45 minutes."  
  
"Its probably just one of his 'special abilities'. Come, we  
must inform him more about the situation at hand."  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
When Ranma woke up strapped to a Lab table, he groaned and  
cursed the world in general. This was beginning to become a   
recurring theme.  
  
The room he was in was devoid of any furniture, except the   
table, of course. It was made out of reinforced concrete, built to   
insure that a prisoner stayed in. There was a small door on side,  
and the mirror in front of him probably was one-sided.  
  
"Ah, Ranma. It seems that you're awake! How do you feel now?"   
A cheerful voice reverberated within the walls, seemingly from   
nowhere.  
  
Ranma snorted, and tested his bonds. A couple of two-inch   
steel manacles. Nothing special.  
  
"Just peachy, thank you very much. Do you mind taking this  
off me?"  
  
"Why, certainly!" The shackles clicked, then sprang open.  
"There, is that better?"  
  
"Much." He rubbed his wrists. "So, how about letting me out of  
this room?"  
  
He could almost feel the owner of the voice sweatdrop. "Uhhm,   
I'm afraid that won't be possible for a while..."  
  
"Why not?" Ranma asked bluntly.  
  
"You see...I.."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I , well, sort of...uhhm... lost the keys to the door, heh   
heh."  
  
Ranma could only mutter to himself. "Figures..."  
  
The voice took on a cheery note once again.   
  
"Don't worry! My men has sent a couple of professional   
demolitionists. They'll have you out in no time!"  
  
"I haven't eaten the whole day, and i get really cranky when  
ever I feel hungry. How long will it take for those guys to come?"  
  
"About 2 hours. Don't worry, you'll get to eat soon enough!"  
  
The martial-artist shook his head. "That's too long for my  
comfort. I need to get out and eat NOW!"  
  
"I told you, the door's still..."  
  
He waved his hand, and stretched for a bit. "Doesn't matter.  
I'll just make my own door."  
  
"Wait! How are...?"  
  
Ranma strode up to a wall, where he thought the hallway  
would lie. He inspected the blank feature for a moment, then poked it  
with a casual gesture. "Bakusai Tenketsu(2)."  
  
The results were explosive. The concrete walls burst outwards,   
creating a hole three meters in diameter. Ranma stepped out of the   
dust cloud and faced the awestruck spectators in the hallways. Seeing  
that they were going to be out of it for a while, he addressed the  
curious Commander Sanada as he came out of the room adjoining the  
the one he just came out.  
  
"So...when do we get to eat?"  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
"Ahh, that sure hit the spot! Got anything to drink around  
here?" Ranma asked his tablemates.  
  
There was no answer. Commander Sanada and his guards were too   
gawking at him for the words to register in their brains.  
  
'I've never seen anyone eat so much!' The words echoed in more  
than one mind.  
  
"Heh, do you know something?" The pig-tailed boy quizzed.  
  
A collective shaking of heads ensued.  
  
"Even in a parallel World, Dr. Sanada's hair still disobeys  
the rules of gravity!" He laughed at his own joke.  
  
Most of them were still too awestruck at his eating habits to   
hear the joke. Commander Sanada, however, was the lone exception. He  
decided to cut him off before he could reveal anything else of a  
sensitive matter.  
  
"Err, Ranma, was it?" Nod. "Ranma, why don't we take this to   
my private office. It would hardly do for us to talk in a cafeteria."  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me." And burped.  
  
They walked back towards the Commanders office. Ranma spent   
the time sightseeing the entire GDF headquarters. Finally, they   
arrived at a wide door with the GDF emblem painted on it. Commander  
Sanada invited Ranma inside, and left his guards outside.  
  
"So, mind telling me what the heck's going?" Ranma started the  
the ball rolling.  
  
"First, allow me to introduce myself." The Commander drew   
himself to a self-righteous pose. "I am Sanada Ken, 49 years old,  
Genius extraordinaire." He shook his fist in the air. "I'm a   
brilliant Physicist who first theorized the existence of Parallel   
Worlds, but now I'm the Chief Commander of the Global Defense   
Forces." He pointed a finger at Ranma. "I've been waiting to meet   
someone like you for a long time, Ranma."  
  
At this time, Ranma grew a huge sweatdrop at the Commander,  
unable to shake off the sense of deja vu. "Riiight. So why have you  
waited a long time for someone like me, exactly."  
  
The Commander grinned. "Why, to prove the existence of   
Parallel Worlds, of course. I know that you came from the other world.  
With you at my side, I could shake the very foundations of the   
Scientific Community!" He shook his fist and cried as his emotions   
overcame him.  
  
"Look," Ranma sighed, exasperated, "Now that you've admitted  
the I came from a parallel world, why don't you just send me home.  
After all, it WAS your fault that ended up in this messed-up world  
in the first place!"  
  
Sanada looked solemnly at him for a moment, then gave his   
answer. "Totally out of the question."  
  
"What!" needless to say, the pigtailed martial artist was  
incensed.  
  
Sanada tried to explain to irate boy. "It's been several years   
since I last held a printout from one of the scanners that regulate  
the Dimensional Transport, It would take me years just to repair  
the damage to the device, and a few more to set it up and running."  
  
"Send me back! This isn't my world! I can't stay here forever.  
What about school, or my stuff, Mother..."  
  
Sanada laid an arm on the distressed young man. "I'm truly   
sorry, but with a war in our hands, we simply cannot provide the  
time or manpower to help you. Until the war ends, I cannot provide  
any assistance that would prove to be of any use to you. For that,  
I can only give you my sincerest apologies."  
  
Ranma slumped back into a chair. He couldn't believe it. He   
was stuck in this god-forsaken dimension with no hope of going home  
until a war had been brought to its culmination. The future seemed  
as bleak as they ever were for him.  
  
"Doomed...doomed I tell ya..."  
  
Cheerfully, the Commander slapped in the back. "Oh, don't be  
so blue, Ranma. Things aren't as bad as they look like!"  
  
"Yeah, they're worse..." He mumbled.  
  
A viewscreen opened. "Commander, the Inspector requests your   
presence at the Control Center right away, Sir. She says Rara has  
a message."  
  
He nodded. "I'll be there in a second." He turned back to  
Ranma. "We'll talk later, Ranma. Don't be so grumpy about things!"  
  
Wearily, Ranma looked at him. "What am I supposed to do?"  
  
"Why don't you ask her?" The Commander smiled, depressing a   
button. He and his chair began descending into an opening under   
the seat, disappearing from view.  
  
'Her?' Ranma wondered.  
  
"We meet again."  
  
He turned to the voice's source. Beneath the doorway stood a  
brown-haired girl in a standard Fuku. He looked at her in askance.  
  
"You...are you...?"  
  
The girl smiled widely. "So, have you figured it out yet?"  
  
His brows drew together as he squinted, trying to make sense  
of her ambiguous words. His eyes widened as realization set in.  
  
"You...you're...?"  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
End Chapter 2.  
  
  
  
====*====*====  
  
  
  
(1) Ranma used one of the Umi-Sen-Ken's forbidden techniques, the  
Goshin Dai Ryu Sei Fu. Only this time, he created a version that  
wouldn't need a piece of cloth as an accessory.  
  
(2) Most people think Ranma doesn't know the breaking point. Hey,  
the guy's an eidetic, AND a genius when it comes to learning a new  
technique. He'd easily be able to duplicate Ryoga's feat.  
  
  
Notes :  
  
The cliffhanger attempt really, really sucks...(iknow,iknow!).  
  
Ranma might be a little OOC here. But think about it. The Guy  
went through a lot. There'd be some obvious changes, especially if   
he really wanted it to happen. If he sounds a bit more educated, its   
because he wanted to start everything anew, so he took school a bit  
more seriously, if only to spite Genma.  
  
Besides, this is a Fanfiction. Authors are allowed a little  
creative freedom (insert deranged super-villain cackle).  
  
By the way, special thanks to the wonderful Disciples for   
giving me this challenge, and posting it in the "Church of Kasumi and   
Ranma" Page. Without them, I'd still be wallowing in grief, generally  
crying about the unfairness of the world.  
  
Maybe I'll take on the Escaflowne/Ranma idea Darkchun had in   
mind, next...  
  
Send all C&C to carlopim@yahoo.com . Flames will be used to   
fuel the Steam locomotive I keep in my backyard.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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